On October 1, 2026, Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, will begin charging businesses for certain messages they receive through the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Meta announced the pricing change in its July 2026 update for the WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API. The company said service message charges would resume from October 1, 2026.
The new fees could affect businesses that use the official WhatsApp Business Platform to manage large volumes of customer conversations.
Affected businesses could include banks, fintech companies, e-commerce platforms, telecommunications providers, logistics companies and major retailers that rely on WhatsApp for transactional messages and customer support.
Most small businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business mobile app will remain unaffected by the update, as manual replies on the standard app stay free.
Under the existing framework, when a customer initiates a chat, a 24-hour customer service window opens. During this window, businesses can send free-form responses and designated utility updates without paying Meta.
Starting October 1, however, Meta will begin charging companies on a per-message basis for service messages sent within that customer service window.
Meta, in its developer documentation, said, “Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for all service messages, consistent with how Meta charges for template messages. These messages have not been charged since November 1, 2024.”
The company added, “Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for utility messages sent in response to users (within an open 24-hour customer service window). These messages have not been charged since July 1, 2025.”
Meta warns ahead of the new charges.
Additionally, Meta alerted companies and solution providers to the necessity of adding a payment option prior to the increased fees.
It said, “For any Solution Provider or directly-integrated businesses that does not have a payment method on file by September 30, 2026, Meta will stop delivering service messages as of when they become charged on October 1, 2026.”
For Nigerian companies, a chargeable utility or service message is expected to cost approximately $0.0101 (roughly ₦14 at an exchange rate of ₦1,340/$1).
Marketing communications carry a substantially higher rate, costing around $0.062 per message (approximately ₦84).
These figures represent Meta’s base fees and may not reflect a company’s total expenditure. Organizations utilizing the WhatsApp Business Platform through third-party platform providers or Business Solution Providers (BSPs) may incur additional service and infrastructure charges.
Backstory…
Meanwhile, this comes shortly after announced its new move to start roll out username reservations as a new privacy feature that will allow users to connect without sharing their phone numbers.
WhatsApp recently made the announcement , stating that reservations started on June 29 in advance of the feature’s official rollout later this year.
According to the statement, users will receive in-app notifications once the option becomes available to them.
Read Also: WhatsApp Officially Announces End of Phone Number Use, Roll Out Username Policy
